A PRACTICAL DUTCH CHARITY. 107 



the reading room pays ten cents a quarter, with the privilege of bring- 

 ing one friend a week as a guest. Every conceivable device is em- 

 ployed to induce visitors to make use of the books; for example, the 

 lecturers frequently choose a literary topic, and refer to the books in 

 the library, or one of the members of certain manual-training classes 

 read aloud while the others work. Then some of the social evenings 

 are given up to the discussion of a new or popular author, and per- 

 sons skilled in reading aloud are asked to read or recite choice ex- 

 tracts. To accommodate those who feel that three months' sub- 

 scription is for too long a period, the regular admission fee of two 

 Dutch cents — equivalent to eight tenths of a cent of our money — 

 gives the right to make use of the library during the visit. It now 

 looks as though the impulse to secure a shortening of the work day 

 would come from this organization in its desire to secure for its bene- 

 ficiaries a longer time in which to profit by the use of the books and 

 special opportunities for study here placed at the disposal of the work- 

 ingmen. The reading room is looked after by a committee of twenty, 

 some of whom are always present to give aid and advice to the readers, 

 to answer such questions as may arise, and to keep the books and 

 papers in place. 



The lectures conducted in Our House are of a twofold character — 

 individual discourses and a series of discussions of a given topic. 

 Every Wednesday evening between November and April is provided 

 with a speaker by the lecture committee, who treats in a popular man- 

 ner a subject of his own choice, and allows the auditors at the close 

 of his talk to ask questions regarding the topic in hand. The aver- 

 age number of persons attending these lectures last winter was about 

 three hundred, and the charge for a single admission is two cents, 

 with a considerable reduction when four or six tickets are purchased 

 for one family. In the course lecture the most popular topic so far 

 has been natural science, especially botany, physics, and chemistry. 

 In this connection it is interesting to note that the luxuriant flora 

 of the East Indies, with which the Dutch became acquainted long 

 ago, gave an impetus in Holland to the study of botany. The people 

 of all classes are fond of plants and flowers, and it is not surprising 

 to learn that twenty persons followed a course of instruction in 

 botany. A prominent physician of Amsterdam gave a course of ten 

 lectures upon " The Eirst Aid to the Injured," and eighty men and 

 women profited by the practical discussion of this subject. The cost 

 of these lectures is four cents apiece. 



Somewhat related to the above are the concerts, Sunday evening 

 meetings, and performances of various kinds which are given under 

 the auspices of the appropriate committees. Perhaps one of the most 

 profitable evenings of the winter is when manufacturers and em- 



